Picked this up since it looked like the chrysanthemum garden group dropped it. If anyone knows any differently please let me know and I'll stop, thanks!
I'm not fluent in korean so a lot of this has been put through translators and I just made it make sense so there may be some cultural context missing like common phrases/sayings.
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Other Translation:
Not my translation, but this one has everything translated to the end: doc
There are certain things you look forward to when you think of summer vacation. The lazy mornings, the sound of cicadas instead of an alarm, a vacation during the hottest part of the year, and the blue ocean in front of you.
Until the first day of break, Wooyeon had been drunk on happiness, thinking about those things. He had officially reconciled with Dohyun, had promised him a trip in passing, and was looking forward to all the fun things to come.
He wondered if he would go to the East Sea or Jeju Island, or maybe one of the villas in a foreign country. While he was full of dreams, the first day of vacation dawned, and Dohyun received a call from Jeonghwa.
- 'I think I should visit my parents' house for a few days.'
His dreams were instantly squashed. All the plans he had made to do this and that with Dohyun went down the drain. Wooyeon was devastated, but he tried to make it sound like he was okay.
'I'll be doing what I have to do, too.'
What the hell is there to do? Wooyeon had nothing to do, so he just rolled around in bed all day. And it’s only been three days since the vacation.
What did he usually do at times like this…? He spent time with Daniel in the US, and he's been out of his mind since he came back to Korea.
During the semester, he was studying, and after the exams, he was thinking about Dohyun. It’s been so long since he's felt this refreshed physically and mentally, so he couldn't get used to it.
‘Danny hasn’t contacted me either… Is Seonsaeng-nim really busy?’
Wooyeon tossed and turned while looking at the messages Dohyun sent. The news of his arrival at home was the last he'd heard from him. Wooyeon wasn't sure if he'd pick up if he called, but he didn't feel like bothering him.
Phew, Wooyeon sighed, and brought out the doll he had left in the corner of the bed. It wasn't a rabbit, but a desert fox. Holding the white, fluffy stuffed animal in his arms made him miss Dohyun even more.
Let’s get some sleep. He closed his eyes with that thought. He'd already slept enough, but sleep was best when there was nothing else to do. As he slowly closed his eyes, a number of thoughts popped into his head.
'...Next week is the rainy season.'
Now that he thought about it, the rainy season was coming soon. When that time came, the blue sky would be covered with dark clouds. The thought of heavy rain pouring down made his mind feel complicated and uneasy.
*****
A week has passed. Wooyeon dyed his hair black and went to his doctor for a pheromone panel. He wanted to know why the inhibitors didn't work last time, but this time all his levels were normal. His doctor said it was most likely due to stress and the alphas around him.
Suhyang hadn't shown up for a single day since Wooyeon started vacation. She was probably busy at work, but that wasn't the only reason. Wooyeon knew that this time of year, Suhyang would be working hard and sleeping as little as possible.
Anyway, because of that, he was having the most boring summer vacation of anyone, watching so many movies that his eyes were puffy and unfocused afterwards. He worked out in the PT room and swam in the pool, but the boredom didn't go away.
And so the rainy season began. One drop, two drops, the rain pounding against the window intensified just as Wooyeon tried to go to bed. Unfortunately, there was no one in the house, so Wooyeon sat on the window frame, holding the mobile phone in both hands.
“Call...”
Should I call?
A week and three days. Isn't that enough waiting? Wooyeon occasionally got messages asking if he ate, but he never heard Dohyun's voice. Honestly, isn't it a bit harsh to enter solitary confinement right after they started dating again?
[ Are you busy? ] 11:01pm
Wooyeon sent the message and began to diligently recite the spell. Call me, call me, call me, call me. He repeated it about five more times, knowing it was useless. Sure enough, the call never came, and his mood spiraled downward.
“I miss you...”
But surprisingly, as soon as he said the last words, his phone rang. The caller was 'Dohyun hyung', the teacher Wooyeon had been waiting for.
“Hello?”
Wooyeon hurriedly answered the phone in a panic. His heart began to pound and beat wildly. On the other end of the line, a very affectionate voice flowed out.
- Yes, Wooyeon. What were you doing?
“....”
There was no answer right away. It had only been a week, maybe a few more days, yet the voice he heard in the gap was overwhelmingly touching. It seemed as if he would burst into tears if he had said even one word.
“...Sunbae.”
That's why Wooyeon barely managed to squeeze out that call. Dohyun burst into laughter as soon as he heard the title 'Sunbae'.
- You're saying 'Sunbae' again after not seeing me for a few days?
What should he do with the title that he had already become accustomed to? It was fortunate that he didn't call him 'Seonsaeng-nim' but 'Sunbae'. Of course, he needed to correct the title.
“When are you coming back, Hyung?”
The voice came out gloomily. Even though he tried not to show it, he was already so lonely that he couldn’t help it. Dohyun must have noticed that, because he asked softly.
- Do you really want to see me?
“Yes.”
- ....
“I miss you.”
- ....
“I want to see you...”
If he say he wants to see him, won’t he come? Wooyeon leaned his forehead against the window with that thought. The pouring rain left traces on the transparent window. Beyond the rain, all he could see was a high wall and a garden.
- This is difficult.
Dohyun swallowed a sigh as he uttered the words. The silence that followed told Wooyeon he was choosing his words carefully. Did he act too childish? Just as he was thinking that, Dohyun whispered softly.
- I was going to go today because it was late.
As soon as he heard that, Wooyeon got up and ran out of the room. He crossed the unnecessarily large house, opened the front door, and went out with his shoes crumpled. Through the gap in the door that was suddenly open, someone was seen holding an umbrella.
“....”
“....”
A person standing upright with a black umbrella. His eyes widen in surprise at the sight of Wooyeon. The very person who had not left Wooyeon's mind for a single moment these past few days.
Wooyeon pursed his lips without even realizing that he was getting rained on.
"...If you keep doing this, you'll get reported."
The words were unimpressive to say the least. Naturally, Dohyun laughed and tilted his umbrella toward Wooyeon. Water droplets fell from his already soaking wet hair.
“Is that the first thing you want to say?”
Wooyeon didn't answer, and fell into Dohyun's arms. He hugged him so tightly that the umbrella Dohyun was holding fell to the ground. With a thud and a splash of rainwater, Wooyeon cried out.
“Hyung...”
A wave of emotions washed over him. He missed him, longed for him, and felt a little lonely.
To exaggerate a little, this past week was harder than the past four years without Seonsaeng-nim.
"Oh my, that's it."
Dohyun hugged Wooyeon tightly and rubbed his cheek against his hair. It was a very casual gesture, as if the wet hair didn't bother him at all. His arms tightened as if to crush Wooyeon, and he whispered sweetly in his ear.
“I missed you, too.”
They didn't enter the house until long afterward. It was precisely at that moment that Wooyeon sneezed. Dohyun offered to leave because it was getting late, but Wooyeon stopped him, saying that no one was home.
"Why did you go to your parents' house?"
The two came out after showering in different baths. For a brief moment, he thought they could wash together, but before he could say anything, Dohyun grabbed his spare clothes and was gone. Wooyeon regretted it, wishing he'd left the clothes for later.
“My parents and younger sibling call sometimes. Once I go, I have to play the good son, so I don't look at my phone much.”
“I see...”
After drying his hair roughly, they laid side by side on the bed and talked. Wooyeon was expecting something a little more intimate, but instead, Dohyun just gave Wooyeon an arm pillow and stroked his back.
As Wooyeon relaxed into his arms, Dohyun asked him casually.
“What did you do while I was gone?"
“...I watched a movie.”
“And?”
“I worked out, swam, and.... I tried to read a book, but I couldn't be bothered.”
“Sounds like you had a good time.”
“What's that?”
Their legs tangled under the duvet. It was supposed to be a peaceful conversation, but there were gaps between the answers. Wooyeon broke off and leaned closer to Dohyun, but Dohyun shook his head sternly.
“No, you don't live alone.”
“...There's no one here anyway.”
“You're not going to be able to handle it again, yet you're not afraid to rush in.”
The words were thick with warning. The dark eyes had a glint in them that made them all the more convincing. The problem was that even that gaze didn't work on Wooyeon at all.
“Just a kiss, then...”
Wooyeon wrapped his arms around Dohyun's waist and lifted his eyes eagerly. As much as he missed Dohyun, he also missed the pleasure he gave him in many ways. He wanted to feel him, just the way he was, through the way their lips met, their tongues mingling, and their bare skin touching.
“Yeon-ah.”
But instead of kissing him, Dohyun ran his fingers through Wooyeon's hair. Long fingers smoothed through the silky locks. First his forehead, then the corners of his eyes, then the bridge of his nose. Pressing his lips to each in turn, he asked in a soothing tone.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“....”
Wooyeon's gaze dropped. He pulled him into a hug, and Dohyun put a gentle hand on his shoulder. Wooyeon buried his face in his chest and whimpered.
“It's okay now.”
He wasn't okay before. Dohyun, who couldn't have been unaware of that fact, began to release his pheromones slowly. The gentle release of pheromones soothed Wooyeon's heart.
“I had a tutor when I was younger.”
Wooyeon started talking about various trivial things while in Dohyun’s arms. About how he had never been to elementary school and how he had been homeschooled and had seen various tutors. Among them, there was the story of an Alpha that was particularly memorable.
“I was taught English, but all I remember is getting scolded.”
He didn’t receive corporal punishment, but he was scolded so much that it would have been better if he had been beaten. He said that Wooyeon was stupid and did not do well, and he belittled Wooyeon as a child. That’s how he learned, and thanks to that, everything he wrote, listened to, and spoke was perfect to this day.
“Alphas are always like that.”
It may have been a coincidence, but when coincidences are repeated, they become inevitable. Stereotypes learned since childhood were not corrected with a few exceptions. Even now, in the arms of an Alpha, Wooyeon felt terrified at Alphas, but not at him.
“Where did the President go?”
Instead of sympathizing, Dohyun changed the subject. Wooyeon didn’t want to talk anymore either, so it couldn’t have been a more appropriate timing.
Fidgeting with his fingers, Wooyeon answered casually.
"Mother must have gone to the funeral."
“...When it's raining like this?"
“It's like this every time.”
It's the rainy season. It was raining outside the window, and Suhyang hadn't been home in over a week. She was always in a bad mood on days like this.
“It's my mother's memorial day the day after tomorrow.”
“....”
“She's never home this time of year.”
The rain intensified. Dohyun wordlessly lowered his head toward Wooyeon. Their lips gently pressed together, as if to offer comfort.
With 102 posted the main storyline has ended! 🎉🎉However there's still an epilogue left. Like vol 4 is only half way translated at this point and there's another volume after that lol
Garam rested her chin on the table and stared at the two empty seats. Her vision was blurry, as if she was drunk. She rubbed the backs of her eyes a couple times, but focus didn't come easily.
“Those two will make up, right?”
Sungyu asked Garam casually. He also drank a lot, but he was the most sober among the club members. Garam tilted her head slightly and slowly opened her mouth.
“Well... I guess.”
It had been two hours since the drinking party started under the pretext of summer vacation. The remaining people were busy playing drinking games at the bar after Dohyun and Wooyeon left. Normally, Garam would have joined them, but she wasn't feeling up to it today.
"If I had followed you while you were drunk, it would have been 100% true."
“Yeah...”
Sungyu nodded and sipped at the wheat beer in his hand. It was somehow relieving, and Garam grinned, showing her teeth in a mischievous way.
“You were worried, weren't you?”
“Of course I was worried. Weren't you worried, Noona?”
"Well I... I was worried. If something went wrong between those two, Wooyeon would leave the club."
The fact that the two of them fought was known to all the club members, including Garam. The freshman who carries around the Kim Dohyun by his side, the omega who made Dohyun, who had rejected everyone, declare 'We're dating'.
Wooyeon's attitude of chasing Dohyun around changed overnight, so it was impossible not to know.
"But I wasn't really worried. If Kim Dohyun does it, he'll do it, right?"
Garam had been confident that Dohyun would somehow resolve the situation ever since they'd entered the cold war, and while she hadn't known Dohyun long, after two years or so together, she was pretty sure he would.
She just didn't think he'd be so easily swayed.
"Wooyeon is amazing, too. Making Kim Dohyun feel awkward."
“Wow, Dohyun is amazing. When I saw that they were taking classes together as freshmen, I thought, "How great must it be for them to do that?"
Though she didn't say it, Garam agreed. She had realized a while ago how much Dohyun loved Wooyeon.
It was about a few months ago, on the day she first saw him.
'Everything he's wearing is designer.'
Garam, who is naturally very interested in clothes and fashion, couldn't help but look him up and down as soon as she saw him. That's because the clothes Wooyeon was wearing at the time were from luxury brands that Garam was familiar with. From the light gray puffer, to the thick sweater, to the sneakers, to even the jeans.
At least a studio apartment deposit, maybe more.
'Did you come in after laying down grass?'
Garam had prejudice against guys from wealthy families. She'd gotten better about it over the course of her time with Dohyun, but her first impression of Wooyeon hadn't been a pleasant. She even thought to herself that she shouldn’t get involved with him.
But that thought was short-lived. The moment Wooyeon turned his head toward Garam, her feelings of dislike quickly turned to fondness.
'...Oppa, what's his name?'
Every single feature was a strike zone. For Garam, a lover of small, pale people, Wooyeon was her ideal type.
Of course, that didn’t mean she wanted to do anything to him.
'I heard about it from the TA Oppa, and he has a pretty name.'
Garam just wanted to get him to join the club. She also thought that she could buy tteokbokki every day if she had a junior like that, so she brought it up to Dohyun. Of course, she didn’t think that Dohyun would react so dramatically when he heard his name.
'It's Wooyeon, Seon Woooyeon.'
'....'
Dohyun immediately ran to where Wooyeon had disappeared. Looking at the back of his figure that anyone could tell had a story, Garam secretly realized. 'Ah, this time it happened again.' It was a truly cunning sentiment, even though she said she had no selfish intentions.
"I guess the two of you knew each other before."
“Come to think of it, Wooyeon called him Seonsaeng-nim back then, didn't he?”
What kind of relationship do they have that makes him able to sway 'that' Kim Dohyun so much? With good intuition, there was only one possible guess. The fact that the private tutor Dohyun mentioned last time was none other than Wooyeon.
"...Then he isn't a total thief?"
Garam had seen people flirting with Dohyun quite often, picking up his number on the street or at festivals. She knew that while he was strict at school, he dated freely outside of it.
So Garam was a little surprised when he showed overconfidence for Wooyeon. She wondered if this guy was just playing around with a freshman who didn't know anything. It seemed like there was something between them, but she didn't want to lose the junior she liked because of some random romance.
'Why are you flirting with Wooyeon?'
To be honest, the fact that she'd lost several Omegas to Dohyun in the past also played a part. It was a strange twist of fate that most of the people Garam had crushes on had crushes on Dohyun.
Of course, even so, her feelings for Wooyeon were genuine.
'If you're not being sincere, then leave him alone. I want to see Wooyeon for a long time.'
Garam was very affectionate, and Wooyeon was the one who kept catching her eye. He didn't have the arrogance that's typical of rich people, and sometimes he was as innocent as a child. If she didn't worry about Wooyeon, it would be even stranger.
'...He thinks my smile is fake.'
Until she heard that, Garam thought it was some kind of bullshit, but the next time she opened her mouth, it felt like a slap in the back of the head.
'I want to know how long he'll think that.'
It wasn't the words that mattered, it was the look on his face, the way he said them, the way his eyes slid down his face in a gentle smile that made even the most selfless Garam's heart skip a beat.
'Hey, you...'
She interfered simply because she thought it was just a curiosity. As someone who loves the club, as a senior who cares about a junior, as a friend who is worried about him, those were the words she blurted out. But what if Dohyun really meant it?
'If I do this...he'll probably realize what I like.'
That was when Garam started to ignore Dohyun and Wooyeon's relationship. Instead of stepping in and helping like Sungyu, she just watched from afar.
If she thought about it, there were many hints that showed that he liked Wooyeon. He always sat next to Wooyeon at drinking parties, and whenever Wooyeon ate something, his expression softened into an infinitely cute face.
"Well...he's definitely met the one."
Perhaps Wooyeon still didn't know. That Dohyun furrowed his brow whenever he called Garam Noona, that he stared out the window at the café he'd visited to study, unable to sit down like a puppy that needed to poop.
The fact that a guy who hated being bothered helped him register for classes, stayed up all night to guard the living room during their M.T., and held back on smoking whenever he was with Wooyeon were all extensions of those feelings.
“Now that I think about it, this kid did the study group because of Wooyeon.”
Kim Dohyun is also very smart yet he volunteered first and they started studying together.
From the beginning, it seems that the study was just a forced excuse to meet Wooyeon.
“Ugh, I'm going to smoke a cigarette.”
Garam rummaged in her pockets and stood up. She asked Sungyu if he wanted to come with her, but he shook his head, saying he was getting drunk. How sweet is the cigarette when you are drunk, Kwon Sungyu didn't know the world.
But maybe she picked the wrong time, the smoking room was quite crowded. Garam hesitated for a moment, then turned to walk outside the bar. She didn't mind her own cigarettes, but she didn't want to inhale other people's smoke.
The night air was still cool, and a humid breeze blew outside, foreshadowing the coming rainy season. Garam took a deep drag from her freshly lit cigarette and looked up at the sky. After all, you should smoke in an open space. As she thought this, she heard a voice from somewhere.
"It's time for you to dye your hair."
"I'm already thinking about it. I'm thinking about just covering it up with black..."
Even though she'd had a few drinks, it wasn't hard to recognize the voices. One was Kim Dohyun, the other was Seon Wooyeon. They're peacefully discussing hair dye. Garam snorted and put the lighter in her hand back into the cigarette case.
"Should we go on a trip during the vacation?"
“Where?”
"Well, a light trip around the country would be fine. We can just take my car."
Did they make up? She thought to herself. Looking at the way they were planning their trip, it was clear that they had reconciled. After so much time had passed, it was time for Wooyeon to go easy on Dohyun. She felt relieved, but also a little bit empty.
"I have a driver's license, too."
“You can't use that in Korea.”
“...Why?”
Garam snickered as she heard a voice that sounded quite wronged. She wanted to walk over and talk to him, but he was in a good mood and she didn't want to disturb them. But if she pretended not to notice and smoked, the smell would waft over there. Her drunken brain was too slow to organize her thoughts.
"Yeah, your pheromones are all over my shirt."
“Really? I washed it.”
“Yeah, I know...I guess it just stayed on.”
That's why he felt strange, and that he wouldn't be able to wear it anymore because it was a waste. This was followed by a series of words full of false accusations.
She didn’t know about anything else, but Garam agreed that Wooyeon’s pheromones were really good. It is dominant, but his fresh and sweet scent is unrivaled compared to other omegas.
“The rainy season starts next week.”
“...Yeah, it's about time.”
Garam tied her hair high with a cigarette in her mouth. Her hair was long enough to reach under her shoulder blades. She should just cut all this hair off or something. It’s already grown this much because she was too lazy to grow it out.
“Wooyeon.”
“What?”
“Wooyeon.”
“....”
“Yeon-ah.”
“...Why do you keep calling me that?”
"Just because I like it."
‘Kim Dohyun is totally crazy.’
Garam, her hair neatly tied up, turned around without regret.
In the two years she'd been with Dohyun, she'd never seen him so happy. If she smoked in this place, she'd lose her appetite.
'I should go inside and smoke.'
Well, she didn't feel bad about it. Although she didn't do anything to help, she felt a strange sense of pride. She thought it would be perfect if she quickly told Sungyu about this news and smoked a cigarette in the smoking room.
“Ah...I want to be in a relationship.”
The words slipped out of her mouth. Garam let it out like a lament and stumbled into the bar. The sky was high, her heart was heavy, and her unlit cigarette filter was bitter today.
The next day, Wooyeon woke up to an empty bed and sat up. He must have fallen asleep while talking to Dohyun, but when he woke up, Dohyun was nowhere to be found. He looked this way and that, but there was no sign of him.
'No way... Has he already gone back?'
Wooyeon jumped out of bed like a spring. It hadn't been long since he'd seen him. It didn't make sense to leave him in his sleep. If he had to go, he should have woken Wooyeon up.
Wooyeon hurriedly walked toward the door even though he was still half asleep. Dragging his slippers across the floor, he was about to open the door when the study door opened. It was Dohyun who stepped out.
"Oh, you're up?”
"...Why are you coming out of there?"
Wooyeon let go of the doorknob and slowly approached Dohyun. Dohyun, smiling softly, opened his arms and hugged Wooyeon. A wave of warmth washed over him, along with his pheromones.
“I went to the restroom and saw the room we were tutoring in, so I took a look. I'm sorry I went in without permission.”
“I thought you'd gone home.”
“I'm not going anywhere without you.”
Long fingers ran through Wooyeon's hair. Even without looking in the mirror, he could tell that a magpie nest had been built. Dohyun stroked the crown and back of his head and pressed his lips to the crown of his head.
"You're pretty even with black hair."
He chuckled. Dohyun's voice was filled with affection. Dohyun kissed Wooyeon a couple more times as he squirmed.
The two descended to the first floor before the mood turned sultry. In the kitchen, the maid had set the table, and in the living room, there were unidentifiable boxes piled up. Dohyun ate in silence, before asking a question.
“Has it been like this every year?”
“What?”
Every year. He didn't understand what he was talking about. Food is always prepared every morning, and it's rare for employees to run into Wooyeon.
“Well, it's always...”
Wooyeon trailed off, and Dohyun's face grew serious. He furrowed his brow and looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he spoke up.
"Moon Garam moved."
“Moved?”
“Yeah. I think she moved from a one-room to a two-room.”
He hadn't heard from her since the vacation started, so it seems she was busy moving. Wooyeon nodded quietly, and Dohyun asked him in a quiet voice.
At that, Dohyun smiled beautifully. His eyes folded into a crescent moon and his lips drew an arc. His gentle face looked so innocent.
“Yeon-ah.”
“....”
Wooyeon couldn't answer, just stared blankly at Dohyun. He always thought he was pretty when he smiled, but now he looked like an angel. His legs went weak and he swooned.
“Come here, sit down.”
What he was pointing at was none other than his thigh. Wooyeon, who had almost sat down as if possessed, suddenly came to his senses. He hadn't had a drop of alcohol, so he couldn't fall for this drunkenness.
“Are you drunk?”
“Um...”
Dohyun tilted his head, his hair falling across his forehead. With a cigarette between his fingers, he flexed his thumb and forefinger and squinted.
“A little?”
“...I don't think it's a little.”
“It's a little bit.”
Wooyeon couldn't argue further and sat down on the stairs as he led him. It would definitely be messy, but it was already too late to feel uncomfortable. Dohyun sat Wooyeon down next to him and lazily rested his head on his shoulder.
“It's too low.”
It was a pretty brazen sentiment from someone that leaned in at will. He even went so far as to demand that it be raised a little higher. Funny enough, Wooyeon obediently straightened his back and helped him lean comfortably.
“What were you doing here?”
Instead of answering, Dohyun rubbed his cheek against his shoulder. It was like a cat or a dog rubbing up against his scent. Seonsaeng-nim is affectionate when he's drunk, Wooyeon realized, another thing he hadn't known.
“Not coming back for so long... people are worried.”
Actually, no one was worried, but Wooyeon said so. Without that excuse, Wooyeon couldn't explain why he'd come looking for him. But Dohyun casually dismissed Wooyeon's words as lies.
“You're a terrible liar.”
“....”
He wasn't talking to himself. He was teasing Wooyeon. Turning his head to the other side, he said a ticklish word.
“I thought of you.”
The back of his throat itched. It was a different feeling from hearing that he liked him. Dohyun continued to talk in a relaxed voice.
“I miss you, I think you're cute, I wonder when you'll accept me...I was thinking about things like that.”
“...Why are you thinking about that out here?”
"I'm already drunk... and it feels weird to have you next to me."
“You said you weren't drunk."
Wooyeon could smell the faint odor of alcohol and pheromones on Dohyun. The scent was stronger than usual, suggesting that he had forgotten to adjust his pheromones in his drunkenness. Wooyeon didn't bother to point it out and slowly opened his mouth.
“Sunbae.”
“Hyung.”
It was déjà vu. He had asked for it so many times that he still remembered it clearly.
“Not Seonsaeng-nim, not Sunbae... just Hyung.”
“....”
“I want you to call me Hyung”
Those words had multiple meanings. It meant that he wanted a different relationship than in the past, that he wanted to be someone more approachable, not just a Sunbae, and that he wanted to be closer to Wooyeon.
Wooyeon noticed all of that. Maybe it was because he was drunk, but today, Dohyun’s inner thoughts were too easy to read. No, strictly speaking, his heart had been clearly visible for a while.
“It's not a stuffed rabbit that Sunbae gave me.”
It was an abrupt change of subject, but Dohyun was happy to let it go. When asked what it was, Wooyeon sighed in relief.
“It's a desert fox.”
“A desert fox?”
Dohyun made a long, “Mmm...” sound, like he was thinking of the doll, and then buried his face in the nape of his neck, grinning broadly.
“It looks like you.”
“Where are you going?”
“Just here and there."
Wooyeon thought the breath on the nape of his neck was very odd. Dohyun thought it was strange. Dohyun didn't seem to think much of it, but Wooyeon's body was getting more and more sensitive. Whether he knew about this Wooyeon or not, Dohyun even laughed, making a purring sound.
“I thought it was a rabbit... I thought it was cute, so cute that I was mesmerized.”
Dohyun's hand tangled in his own. The feeling of them entwining each other was so familiar that it brought tears to his eyes. Still clasping his hand tightly, he whispered softly.
"I like you so much, what should I do?"
Sometimes, in the midst of everyday life, you suddenly realize something. For example, you realize that a wound has healed, or that you've forgotten a bad memory, or that so much time has passed.
“I like you, Wooyeon...”
Summer was almost here. The semester is over, and after today, it's vacation. After today it would be impossible to see Dohyun, to talk to him like this, unless they made an appointment.
“...I.”
Wooyeon stammered his hair graying. Dohyun's head was still leaning against him, their hands clasped tightly together. Warmth radiated from their closely pressed palms.
“I...”
His heart pounded in his chest and he turned. Pheromones rippled and the tips of his ears burned. It wasn't the first time he'd said it, but he felt a million times more nervous than before.
“...Me too.”
The words that managed to slip out felt small even to Wooyeon. It could easily be drowned out by the sound of grasshoppers if he said it wrong.
Unsurprisingly, Dohyun didn't answer, so Wooyeon mustered up a little more courage.
“I like you.”
It was different from the confession he'd made that day, that he liked Seonsaeng-nim. Unlike that time, when he had casually blurted it out without thinking, this time he took out the core and showed it to him. His head, and his heart, and his whole body screamed that it couldn't be anyone but Dohyun.
“I've been thinking...”
“....”
“I don't think I can do it without you, Sunbae.”
In the end, it was Dohyun. No matter how far he had to go, Wooyeon's heart was set on where he'd end up.
“I like you, Hyung.”
The moment he let it out, the true feelings that he had suppressed regained their size. Like a sponge soaking in water, they expanded quickly. The emotions that had been trickling out of him now overflowed to fill his heart.
“....”
Dohyun stopped moving, unable to breathe. Even the occasional sound of his breathing stopped, as if all time had stopped. The rustle of leaves, the sound of people talking in the distance, the indistinct noises he could hear if he concentrated deeply enough.
“...Now.”
A breathy voice said. It seemed surprised, or maybe embarrassed, but either way, it was not a response that expected Wooyeon to respond.
“Just now, what...”
“...I said I like you, Hyung.”
Wooyeon repeated what he had said a moment ago. They say the first time is the hardest, and the second time wasn't as nerve-wracking as the first. Dohyun was silent, unable to say anything, and then covered his eyes with his other hand.
“...Ha.”
A ragged breath burst out. The pheromones gradually became thicker, and he lowered his head while leaning on Wooyeon's shoulder. The tips of his hands that were tightly clasped together began to tremble slightly.
'No way...'
Wooyeon slowly turned to look at Dohyun, his face puzzled. He wanted to see his face, but the angle made it impossible to see his expression. However, his lips were bitten hard, so Wooyeon couldn't help but ask.
“...Are you crying?”
Pheromone surged loudly. Dohyun, his shoulders invisibly heaving, stammered an excuse.
“It's because I'm drunk.”
“Are you really crying?”
"...I told you it's because I've been drinking."
His voice was tinged with tears, his words trembling and his breathing shallow. Dohyun turned around and hugged Wooyeon, who was frozen in place, unable to do anything.
“Say it one more time...”
Wooyeon awkwardly hugged Dohyun, who was holding him. Dohyun had never been held in his arms, even though he had hugged him while crying. Although he was awkward and uncomfortable, he could tell how desperately Dohyun was clinging to him.
“I like you.”
“...Call me Hyung.”
“I like you, Hyung.”
“One more time...”
“Hyung, I like you.”
The more he confessed, the more convinced he became that he liked him, not because he was Seonsaeng-nim, not because he was kind and mature, but just because he was Kim Dohyun. No matter how it started before, this beginning was entirely by Wooyeon.
“Look.”
“....”
“I told you it wasn't useless.”
Dohyun weakly buried his face in Wooyeon's shoulder. The skin of his shoulder began to get wet. As he rubbed his back, a desperate voice confessed.
“I like you, too.”
“....”
“I really like you, Yeon-ah...”
That was the end of the long-lasting rain shower. The rain stopped and the sky opened up to reveal a clear day. Dohyun didn't leave Wooyeon's embrace for a long time.
It's been so long since Wooyeon heard that, that it has already faded into the back of his mind. A name he'd only heard a few times, and even when he did, he didn't feel compelled to memorize it.
Suhyang continued to talk about Hayeon for quite some time. The sequence was all over the place. She'd say one thing and then abruptly cut to another. Wooyeon didn't miss a single word of Suhyang's faded memories.
'She was too weak to travel very far.'
Hayeon was described as pale and skinny. It wasn’t that her family was poor, but her illness took its toll. She was almost bankrupt and ready to give up on life when she met Suhyang.
‘There was strong opposition at home, but I couldn't see it at the time.’
What began at the tender age of seventeen continued until they were both in their twenties. First as friends, then as lovers, and finally as spouses with a promised future.
'I only moved in with Hayeon after she got pregnant with you.'
Until then, Suhyang believed everything would be fine. They had already registered their marriage, and Hayeon's chronic illness could be cured with hundreds of millions of won. What Suhyang overlooked was the fundamental difference in the environments in which she and Hayeon had lived.
'I was stupid. At that time, I thought that the best thing to do was to inherit the company as soon as possible. I was so busy taking care of the future that I couldn't see the present right in front of me.'
Hayeon withered under Suhyang's indifference and excessive media attention. Unable to cope with being scrutinized for her every move, she gradually retreated into the house.
'I wasn't the one who locked Hayeon up.'
By the time Suhyang realized that her illness was not getting better, it was too late. No amount of treatment could help her because she was unwilling to get better on her own. As the month of her due date drew nearer, Hayeon continued to wither away.
'If she hadn't met me, she might have lived happily.'
The end of a relationship that she thought was fate was cruel enough to be irreversible. Hayeon died before she could give birth to Wooyeon, and skillful doctors saved his life. Suhyang gave Wooyeon the “Seon” surname, but she couldn't look him in the face since he looked exactly like Hayeon.
'There's nothing in the world that money can't buy, except bringing the dead back to life.'
After losing the person she loved, Suhyang didn't want to lose her child either. She was afraid that someone might be greedy and since she couldn't even hold him properly, she decided to keep him hidden. It wasn't hard for her to erase Hayeon's traces or to make it seem like Wooyeon didn't exist.
'I couldn't protect her, so I just wanted to protect you.'
Suhyang said that she truly loved Hayeon. It wasn't 'I loved you.' It was 'I love you.' Wooyeon had no idea how big that love was. He didn’t rashly define how the love that had lost its target was twisted and expressed.
'To you... I owe you an apology.'
A woman who has never bent to anyone in her life. Arrogant, high-pressure, and a typical chaebol, it must have been very difficult for her to say sorry. Perhaps that was why the apology she uttered was so awkward.
'I'm sorry.'
Of course, Wooyeon didn’t say it was okay. It was never okay, so there was nothing he could do. He had no intention of making her heart feel at ease, even with a lie.
'Why you're apologizing all of a sudden, I don't know.'
It was a natural question for Wooyeon. It was a rift of emotions that had built up for 20 years. Wasn’t it too sudden to end it in the time it took for the rainy season to pass?
“So, why did you come to my house?”
Dohyun gently stroked Wooyeon's hair as they lay side by side. He ran his fingers through his tangled hair and then covered the nape of his neck with his palm. Wooyeon shrugged and shook his head.
“We've made a deal. I'll move back out when second semester starts. I'll live close to the school and attend college properly."
"Won't it be dangerous?"
“I think there will be more bodyguards.”
After finishing their conversation, Wooyeon got in Secretary Yoon's car and returned to Dohyun. Secretary Yoon had witnessed everything that had happened that day, but she hadn't said anything about it. Well, that must be why she has stayed by Suhyang's side for so long.
"She says she's sorry, but people don't change easily. If that were true, I wouldn't have had to fight with you, Hyung."
The feeling was so strange that it couldn't be expressed in words. If something feels refreshing, it feels refreshing, if it feels uncomfortable, it feels uncomfortable. Since nothing changed right away, it didn't feel real. Dohyun stared blankly at Wooyeon and then pulled him into his arms.
"Well... They say the way to become close with a family that doesn't get along is to stay far away."
"Are you talking about your experience?"
“Half of it.”
A faint pheromone lingered at the tip of his nose. Maybe it was because he had smelled Suhyang's, but now he felt relieved. How could pheromones be this good? Wooyeon wrapped his arms around Dohyun's waist, thinking to himself.
“I didn't realize those two were so in love.”
Wooyeon had heard about Hayeon from their employees. The gossip they shared as they walked around the house was very noticeable to the young Wooyeon's ears.
The stories of how the vice president had brought in a poor Omega, and how she was so obsessed with her that she ended up killing her. Dohyun's words of how he would end up like that Omega, were still fresh in his mind.
“I can't imagine it. The President was in love with someone."
“Me neither.”
Ji Suhyang's lover. Even though she was his mother, Wooyeon couldn't imagine it at all. Even the expressions he had seen for a moment were erased as if his brain had rejected them.
“Seonsaeng-nim.”
“....”
“Sunbae.”
“....”
“Hyung.”
“Yeah, what?”
Wooyeon chuckled and buried his face in Dohyun's arms. In the past, whenever he needed to, he would call him "Seonsaeng-nim," but now he only responded to being called "Hyung."
“It's just... Thank you.”
“You have nothing to be grateful for.”
There were many things that wouldn't have changed if Dohyun hadn't been there. For example, Wooyeon's middle school days, the way he thought, and even his attitude toward Suhyang.
“This and that...”
“This and that?”
“...You said you called my mom.”
'...I got a call. From that kid.'
It was obvious who that kid was. There was only one person in the world who would dare to call Suhyang and ask about Wooyeon's story.
'I wasn't the only one who lost a family member, but I found out too late. And I didn't even know that I would hear it from someone other than my family.'
She looked so sorry. Suhyang, who didn't seem like she'd bleed even if you pricked her with a needle, smiled bitterly, which was unusual for her.
'Now it's just you and me... If I asked you to come back home, would you?'
It was a shameless question. Naturally, Wooyeon laughed and shook his head. It might not be Suhyang who locked Hayeon up, but she was the one who locked Wooyeon up.
“...I.”
Dohyun hesitated for a long moment. Then he tightened his arm around Wooyeon and spoke without confidence.
"I thought I was providing you with a refuge."
The word "refuge" didn't sound very positive. The gentle tone that followed was the same.
"I thought I was adding fuel to the fire by telling you to stay at my house."
Perhaps Dohyun thought he had caused this. He wondered if he'd made a big deal out of things that would otherwise pass quietly. He said it so affectionately.
“I hadn't thought of that...”
Wooyeon opened his mouth slowly, choosing his words in his head. Of course, he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought of Dohyun's house the day he left the main house. It's also true that he took his steps quickly because he had a place to run away to.
“It was just an excuse.”
However, even if it wasn't for Dohyun, it would have happened someday. It was just that the timing was a little bit earlier, because Wooyeon always wanted to get away from there.
Dohyun watched Wooyeon and slowly rubbed his back.
“I'm sure the President would agree.”
“....”
“Even without me, she would have apologized someday.”
His breathing was even. The heartbeat he could hear in his ears was calm and gentle.
“So don't think it's all my fault.”
The words hit the nail on the head. He thought it was all Dohyun's fault, and he must have noticed. It was too subtle for anyone else but Kim Dohyun to notice.
“...Shall we go on a trip?”
“A trip?”
Wooyeon's first love that he had never forgotten. He was his comfort, his salvation, and now his refuge.
“The rainy season is ending today, so it would be nice to go somewhere and play.”
Four years ago, he and Dohyun had broken up before the seasons changed twice. The brief transition from spring to summer. A period when it didn't even rain ten times. In that moment, Wooyeon seeped into Dohyun like a spring rain.
“Domestic is good, or overseas is good...”
The relationship that ended before the rainy season began now continued after it ended. Perhaps, Dohyun would be by Wooyeon's side even when the seasons changed again.
“Anything is good if Hyung is there.”
His heart fluttered in his chest. Dohyun let out a ticklish laugh and nodded slowly. The answer that he'd like it anywhere was full of affection for Wooyeon.
"I like you too, Yeon-ah."
It was the same answer, but Wooyeon didn't point it out. Instead, he just closed his eyes as he kissed him.
Even after the rainy season ended, Wooyeon still permeated him. The dark clouds that had been bothering his heart had now disappeared without a trace. It was a night when it no longer rained and he wasn't alone.
